Toyota unveils new off-road trucks

By Neal Morton :
February 6, 2014
: Updated: February 6, 2014 8:09pm

At the Chicago Auto Show, Toyota has debuted off-road TRD Pro Series editions of the San Antonio-made Tacoma (from left) and Tundra pickups and the Japanese-built 4Runner SUV. Past TRD models have won numerous awards.

Production of the off-road models starts next fall. San Antonio workers only need to add a new color to their paint shop and prepare to stamp “TRD Pro” on the quarter bed panels.

Photo By Chris Burkard / Courtesy photo

Like the San Antonio-made pickups, the Japanese-built 4Runner will be available in black, “super white” and a burnt-orange called Inferno.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

Workers prepare for the open of the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, will be open to the public February 8 through February 17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

Workers prepare the Maserati exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

Workers prepare the Buick exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

Workers prepare the Volkswagen exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

Workers prepare the Buick exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

Workers prepare the Maserati exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

A worker helps to prepare the Ram truck exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

Tom Kipp assembles a robot in the Ford exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

The first Ford Mustang sold in the United States is prepared for display at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The car was sold on April 15, 1964, two days before Ford officially offered Mustangs for sale. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

Miguel Reyes (L) and Camillo Reyes prepare a Fiat 500 for display at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

A Porsche Boxster sits under wraps as workers prepare cars for display at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, will be open to the public February 8 through February 17.

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 05: A worker prepares the Toyota display at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 05: Jay Klein helps to prepare the Lexus exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 05: Workers prepare a Ford F550 truck for display at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 05: Workers prepare the Cadillac exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 05: Joel Calderon helps to prepare the Toyota display at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 05: Herb Teeter prepares a Ford Edge for exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 05: Workers prepare the Toyota display at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 05: Tom Kipp assembles a robot in the Ford exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, runs February 8-17.

Photo By Scott Olson/Getty Images

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 05: Michael Cochran prepares a Lincoln MKZ for display at the Chicago Auto Show on February 5, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The show, which is held at McCormick Place, will be open to the public February 8 through February 17.

SAN ANTONIO — The assembly line at Toyota's South Side truck plant soon will roll out new off-road editions of the compact Tacoma and full-size Tundra pickups.

At the Chicago Auto Show on Thursday, Toyota featured both of its San Antonio-made trucks and the 4Runner SUV as part of an expanded TRD Pro Series that the automaker hopes will appeal to lifestyle drivers who want more than a pickup built for work.

Production of the extreme-themed vehicles starts next fall. Workers at the local factory are adding a new color to their paint shop and preparing a “TRD Pro” stamp for the quarter bed panel of new Tundras.

Toyota manufactures the 4Runner at its plant in Tahara, Japan.

The TRD Pro trucks will compete with similar off-road versions of the Chevrolet Silverado Z71 and Ford F-150 FX4, said Karl Brauer, a senior analyst with Kelley Blue Book.

He said shifting trends in the auto market make it a good time for the Japanese automaker to introduce these new editions.

“A lot of the cars that were purchased over the last four years were purchased out of necessity and not of desire,” Brauer said.

“It's not until recently, in the last year or plus, that we've seen a lot more people enter the market freely, with the increasing strength of the economy,” he added. “People are getting more interested in not just new vehicles but new vehicles that go above just transportation.”

As standard features, Toyota will stock each of its TRD Pro vehicles with high-performance shocks, specially tuned front springs and new front skid plates. The family of off-road trucks also will sport unique front grills, black wheels and TRD floor mats and shift knobs.

Toyota will offer each make in black and “super white,” as well as a new burnt orange tone called Inferno that may remind local drivers of the University of Texas at Austin, said Jack Hollis, Toyota's vice president of marketing.

Last year, the company sold nearly 160,000 new Tacomas and 113,000 new Tundras in the U.S., up 13 percent and 11 percent, respectively, from 2012. Sales of the 4Runner rose 6 percent, to about 52,000 units, over the same time period.

“We expect both the SUV and truck market to continue to grow,” Hollis said. “We think now's not just the time for a work truck, but also (for drivers) who want to spend a little extra to have some more fun.”

The TRD Pro Series, he added, is “aimed squarely at those off-road enthusiasts who want a little more extreme ability.”

Pricing for the TRD Pro models will be released about two weeks before they hit dealerships this fall.

Aside from the standard features, customers can choose about 50 accessories — including different intakes, exhausts and superchargers — from their dealers.